April 06, 2018

Fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series will love this reimagining of Homer’s The Odyssey told from the point of view of Odysseus’s loyal dog, Argos.

Now available in paperback, this rousing story of devotion and determination is an original take on one of the most beloved myths of all time.

For twenty years, the great hero Odysseus struggles to return to home on Ithaka. He defeats monsters. He outsmarts the Cyclops. He battles the gods. He does whatever it takes to reunite with his family.

And what of that family—his devoted wife, Penelope; his young son, Telemachos; his dog, Argos? For those twenty years, they wait, unsure whether they will ever see Odysseus again. But Argos has found a way to track his master.

Any animal who sets foot or wing on Ithaka brings him news of Odysseus’s epic voyage. These tales bring hope that one day his master will return. Meanwhile, Argos the loyal dog watches over his master’s family and protects them from the dangers that surround a throne without its king.

Welcome to Day #5 of The Argos Blog Tour!

To celebrate the paperback release of Argos: The Story of Odysseus as Told by His Loyal Dog on March 27th, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Ralph Hardy and 5 chances to win a copy of the book!

10 Writing Tips for Aspiring Authorsby Ralph Hardy

There's nothing I enjoy more than reading the stories written by fans of Argos. Kids today are far more creative than I was at their age, which makes me think that soon I'll be reading a ton of great short stories and novels written by kids who are in elementary school or middle school today. And I can't wait. I really think that most people can write a novel, or at least become confident writers, if they follow a few of these suggestions or tips. Some of them are obvious, perhaps, but a few of these I learned the hard way.

Read a lot. Read everything you can, in every genre you can. Fiction and non-fiction. Poetry, too. Poets really have an ear for language.

You have to learn the rules of grammar and punctuation before you can break them. This sounds boring, but it's true!

You should try to write something every day, even if you're not "feeling inspired." The Muse will come even when you don't expect her.

Five hundred words a day is a novel in nine months. Really.

Never stop writing at the end of a chapter. Keep writing while you have momentum.

John le Carre, one of my favorite writers, once said something like "a cat on its bed is not a story. A cat on the dog's bed is a story." In other words, great stories must have conflict.

Once you find your main character's voice, half the battle is won. But it might take a while to find it.

Treat your main characters cruelly. Give them every opportunity to fail, then rinse and repeat. At the very end they can triumph--partially.

Some writers outline, others don't, but all of us keep notebooks with ideas, names of characters, scenes, phrases, half-baked thoughts, potential titles, and stuff we might use one day. Mine is orange.

Sometimes your friends or your parents will claim to like everything you write just because you wrote it, so find some trusted readers to show your work to when you're ready and listen to their suggestions.

About the Author: Ralph Hardy graduated from the University of North Carolina and received an MFA from Columbia College, Chicago. He now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife and two children. He is also the author of Lefty and The Cheetah Diaries.

Disclaimer: "All opinions are 100% honest and my own."Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. Buying via these links allows my site to get a % of the sale at no cost to you. This money gets used to buy items for giveaways. FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored. Donations: All donations are to help keep this site running via costs from shipping, .com charges, and other giveaways.

Comments are DELICIOUS! and now that were using this new format for comments the TOP 3 Commenters will all win bookish goodies each month! So that is just one more reason to comment! This is open to everyone! So get commenting!

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In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. This also receives payment via paid reviews that are still 100% our honest opinions. All donations and sales are to help keep this site running via costs from shipping, .com charges, and other giveaways.